A ceiling fan brace includes a brace having a first segment and a second segment moveable relative to the first segment. A case is removably coupled to the brace. The case has a lower wall, an opening positioned opposite the lower wall, an inner wall extending from the lower wall away from the opening, and an internal cavity at least partially defined by the inner wall. The internal cavity is sized to receive at least one electrical conductor. A passage extends adjacent to the inner wall to receive the brace.
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1. A ceiling fan brace to couple to a ceiling joist, the ceiling fan brace comprising:
a brace including a first segment and a second segment moveable relative to the first segment; and
a case removably coupled to the brace, the case having a lower wall, an opening positioned opposite the lower wall and at least partially defined by a case outer wall, an inner wall extending from the lower wall away from the opening, a cavity outer wall extending outwardly from the case outer wall relative to the inner wall, and an internal cavity at least partially defined by the inner wall and the cavity outer wall,
wherein the internal cavity is sized to receive more than one electrical conductor, and
wherein a passage extends adjacent to the inner wall to receive the brace.
10. A ceiling fan brace to couple to a ceiling joist, the ceiling fan brace comprising:
a brace including a first segment and a second segment moveable relative to the first segment; and
a case removably coupled to the brace, the case having an opening, a case outer wall, a first internal cavity extending away from the opening, a second internal cavity extending away from the opening, and a passage extending at least partially between the first and second internal cavities,
wherein the first internal cavity is at least partially defined by a first cavity outer wall extending from the case outer wall and the second internal cavity is at least partially defined by a second cavity outer wall extending from the case outer wall in a direction opposite the first cavity outer wall.
2. The ceiling fan brace of
3. The ceiling fan brace of
4. The ceiling fan brace of
5. The ceiling fan brace of
6. The ceiling fan brace of
7. The ceiling fan brace of
8. The ceiling fan brace of
9. The ceiling fan brace of
11. The ceiling fan brace of
12. The ceiling fan brace of
13. The ceiling fan brace of
14. The ceiling fan brace of
15. The ceiling fan brace of
16. The ceiling fan brace of
17. The ceiling fan brace of
18. The ceiling fan brace of
19. The ceiling fan brace of
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This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/832,060, filed Apr. 10, 2019, U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/937,871, filed Nov. 20, 2019, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/001,381, filed Mar. 29, 2020, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and to which priority is claimed.
The present disclosure relates to a ceiling fan brace assembly, and more specifically to a ceiling fan brace assembly configured to engage an engineered joist.
Certain aspects are directed to a ceiling fan brace to couple to a ceiling joist. The ceiling fan brace includes a brace having a first segment and a second segment moveable relative to the first segment. A case is removably coupled to the brace. The case has a lower wall, an opening positioned opposite the lower wall, an inner wall extending from the lower wall away from the opening, and an internal cavity at least partially defined by the inner wall. The internal cavity is sized to receive at least one electrical conductor. A passage extends adjacent to the inner wall to receive the brace.
Certain aspects are directed to a ceiling fan brace to couple to a ceiling joist. The ceiling fan brace includes a brace having a first segment and a second segment moveable relative to the first segment. A case is removably coupled to the brace. The case has an opening, a first internal cavity extending away from the opening, a second internal cavity extending away from the opening, and a passage extending at least partially between the first and second internal cavities.
Certain aspects are directed to a method of installing a ceiling fan brace. A brace is placed between a first ceiling joist and a second ceiling joist. The length of the brace is adjusted to engage the brace with the first ceiling joist and the second ceiling joist. A case is connected to the brace. The case has a lower wall, an opening positioned opposite the lower wall, an inner wall extending from the lower wall away from the opening, and an internal cavity at least partially defined by the inner wall. An electrical conductor is positioned in the internal cavity.
Other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the disclosure are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Use of “consisting of” and variations thereof as used herein is meant to encompass only the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings.
In general, the present disclosure relates to a ceiling fan brace assembly for installing a ceiling fan in a finished ceiling. The ceiling fan brace assembly is configured to engage a variety of ceiling joists.
Supports 34 are coupled to either side of the brace 14. In the illustrated embodiment, one support 34 is coupled to the first segment 18, and another support 34 is coupled to the second segment 22. Each support 34 may be coupled via a friction fit, a fastener, or a similar means. Each support 34 includes a pair of feet 35 that extend away from the brace 14. Each support also includes prongs 36 that extend in a direction parallel to the brace 14.
The ceiling fan brace assembly 10 also includes a container or case 38. The case 38 is removably coupled to the brace 14 by at least one bracket 42. In the illustrated embodiment, the ceiling fan brace assembly 10 includes two brackets 42, although in other embodiments, any number of brackets 42 may be used. The illustrated brackets 42 have a generally U-shaped configuration with a pair of slide flanges, which allows the brackets 42 to wrap at least partially around the first segment 18.
As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, the case 38 includes a first cavity outer wall 47a, and a second cavity outer wall 47b, a first inner wall 50 and a second inner wall 54 that faces the first inner wall 50. As best shown in
As shown in
To install the ceiling fan brace assembly 10, a user first cuts a hole 74 (
The length L of the brace 14 is adjusted based on the width W. As shown in
When the length L and width W are substantially equal, the feet 35 of the supports 34 rest against the ceiling 78 and are positioned adjacent the lower cord 84 of each respective joist 82. The prongs 36 one each support 34 are positioned proximate each respective joist 82, but do not engage the lower cords 84. The length L is then further increased (i.e., by rotating the first segment in the second direction) to that the prongs 36 of the supports engage (e.g., dig into) the lower cords 84, thereby fixing the brace 14 to the joists 82.
Once the brace 14 is fixed, the user positions the brackets 42 around the brace 14 (e.g., around the first segment 18) such that the force of gravity retains the brackets 42 against the brace 14. The case 38 is then positioned through the hole 74 such that the cavities 46a, 46b extend around the brace 14 and into the ceiling 78. The brace 14 is positioned within the passage 58. The brackets 42 rest against the lower inner wall 62 proximate the fastening apertures 66, and fasteners 70 are coupled to the case 38 and the brackets 42 in order to secure the case 38 to the brace 14 within the hole 74. A ceiling fan (not shown) may then be mounted to the ceiling 78, and the electrical cables of the ceiling fan may be stored in the cavities 46a, 46b.
The case 38 provides additional storage volume within the cavities 46a, 46b that can be used to store electrical wires or other components as compared to a pan case (i.e., a case 38 lacking the cavities 46a, 46b). This is useful, particularly when working with engineering joists 82. The lower cord 84 of the joists is disposed proximate the ceiling 78 (e.g., a half inch from the ceiling), and therefore the brace 14 is positioned proximate the ceiling 78. Having the cavities 46a, 46b extend around and beyond the brace 14 enables the case 38 to fit in the reduced clearance between the brace 14 and the ceiling 78, while also providing sufficient volume to store the electrical cables.
As shown in
The embodiment(s) described above and illustrated in the figures are presented by way of example only and are not intended as a limitation upon the concepts and principles of the present disclosure. As such, it will be appreciated that variations and modifications to the elements and their configuration and/or arrangement exist within the spirit and scope of one or more independent aspects as described.
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Jul 13 2020 | JOHNSON, STEVEN | Hubbell Incorporated | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 053203 | /0530 |
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